Missing
by YasuJ
Summary: Luke Snyder is a logical thinker, but even he doesn't know what to do when Noah doesn't return home... for eight, nine, ten hours...
1. Where the Hell is Noah

Disclaimer: Why is this necessary? I don't own any of the characters on As The World Turns. Copyrights belong to CBS and PGP. You think if I owned them I'd be here writing this piss?

A/N: Ok. Hi the readers of ATWT. This is my first fanfic, 'cause evil plot bunnies would not leave me alone! I've written other stories but none like this. I haven't been watching this soap for too long, but I gotta do this. It's Nuke by the way, and in this world, Ameera never happened or she already got her green card and is far, FAR away, studying. So if you like it, please, TELL ME! If you don't, please, DON'T SAY A WORD! " Also if my interpretations of places are off, sorry!

Chapter 1

Where the Hell is Noah?

Luke Snyder was by all means a calm person. He took whatever life threw at him with a smile or snide remark, as was his nature. So when a certain Noah Mayer decided to tell Luke that he had a few errands to run out of town and would be a little late for his birthday party that night, Luke just asked if they were that important.

"Yeah, they are. Trust me, okay," Noah had said, blue eyes glinting. "The party's at seven, right? I'll be there by 7:30 the latest, I promise. I wouldn't miss this for anything, you know that, right?" He had stepped closer to Luke, way up in the personal space area, and hugged him gently conveying his affection.

Luke had just nodded, sighed, given him a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the butt to send him off. Of course, he had threatened to 'beat his ass with a pitchfork if he was any later than that' somewhere in there but let's not mention it, shall we? Noah had gotten into his navy blue pick-up, shouted 'Seven-thirty' as if to remind him, and drove off.

That was six hours ago. Now it was 7:15 and Luke was getting into greeting the people who came to his party. They were having it at the farm, the backyard providing ample space for the kids to run around in. The older adults were scattered about alternately watching the children and catching up with their friends quietly. The young adults, however, were living it up, the legal ones drinking and mingling and the non-legals… well, not drinking but it was fine by Luke's standards.

"Hey, Luke!"

"Will! Gwen! Glad you guys could make it!"

Gwen smiled while Will opted for a confused look. "Make it? We had to come!" Will wrapped an arm around Luke's shoulders and squeezed. "It's not everyday a boy turns twenty-one! It's a rite of passage!"

"Yeah," Gwen chimed in. "It's an important day, so we know you'd want all the people who love you to be here. On that note, where's Noah? I thought he'd be doing that guardian thing right beside you, but I don't see him anywhere."

"He had some errands or something," Luke said, scratching his dirty blonde head sheepishly, "but he'll be here. He promised to be here by the half hour and that Noah Mayer is a punctual boy… even when he's late."

In case you're wondering… seven-eighteen found said Noah Mayer driving like a mad person through dark, forested hills, far away from Oakdale. He had gotten the perfect gift for Luke; at least, he hoped it was perfect. The first time he'd seen it, he had passed the little shop in Fairview without a second glance, but after spending so much time with Luke and everything they'd been through together, it just seemed like the right time. This was going to be his special surprise to Luke. Nobody in town, not even Luke's parents, knew about it. He was only going to buy it, but then the store offered a special "speedy" engraving service and he couldn't resist. Though it was worth it, it set him back by sixty dollars and _two_hours, which was why he was now rushing down hillsides at a breakneck pace, trying to get to Luke's party by the promised time. He was gonna make it to Oakdale in ten minutes or his name wasn't Noah Benjamin Mayer… and he _really_ didn't want to experience that pitchfork.

Seven-thirty came and Luke Snyder did not see Noah Mayer. So he did what any good boyfriend would do. He called his cell. No-one answered. He left a voice-mail. Let's just say it wasn't a happy one and leave it at that.

Eight o'clock came and still no Noah. Luke left two more voice-mails, the last one a bit more pissed and a little worried. Pitchforks were involved, but deep down inside something felt wrong.

Eight-thirty and the damned boy was not in sight. Luke was starting to get seriously worried and told his mom and dad that Noah was over an hour late after leaving another message. Holden and Lily looked at each other solemnly and began making their own calls.

By nine o'clock, Luke was freaking out. No-one could reach Noah. The party had come to a sudden halt when Luke's parents had opted for the police and had been trying to contact Noah on their own with no luck.

Luke wanted to cry by ten. Apparently, you couldn't file a missing person's report before ascertaining that the person was actually "Missing". 'Well, that's effing stupid! My boyfriend could be out there hurt, lost all by himself and you want me to wait?!' he remembered shouting that and other things at the officer, who just took the tirade and asked evenly when was the last time Luke had seen or heard from Noah.

Luke deflated then and answered weakly, "Around one, here at the farm. We got back from lunch 'cause I had to help set everything up, and he said he was gonna do some errands, but he promised to be here by seven-thirty!" Tears prickled at the back of his eyes, but Luke knew that if he started crying now he wouldn't be able to stop. Then, realization hit him so hard that his knees gave out and Holden barely had time to keep him from greeting the ground in a painful way. "Oh God, what if he's been missing since then? I didn't… I didn't even c-call him. I got so… caught up with getting the stupid party ready, I-I forgot about him! What… what the hell is wrong with me?"

But the questions just kept coming. "Is there anyone with ill intent against Mr. Mayer? Do you suspect any foul play? Do you believe it was a possible abduction? Has Mr. Mayer been happy staying here? Do you know of any places he may run too? Does he have any family in towns nearby or distant?" The last question set Luke off. "No! No, we are his family, he loves it here and we love him! Noah is ours!" Luke wouldn't be able to hold together much longer, his voiced cracked harshly with these words, "He's mine! Mine! And I want him here. I want Noah home."

By Eleven, Luke was sobbing openly against his mother, tears flowing as though a dam broke inside of him. Lily was trying her best to keep him up, stroking his hair tenderly, whispering soothing words of encouragement, but all the 'It's okay's and 'I'm sure he's fine's in the world would not help Luke as much as seeing that old blue Ford at that instant.

"Come on, Noah. Where the hell are you?" Holden whispered to the empty air. Everyone had gone home by then, most offering hopeful tidings for Noah and Luke, some deciding to go searching around town for any trace of Noah but damn it all! If Noah didn't come back soon, Luke was gonna go crazy. So was Lily, Emma, everyone in fact. Noah needed to be here, now.

Unfortunately for Holden, Noah would not be there anytime soon. Why? Because… by seven-twenty two that night, Noah and his truck were not on any road, going anywhere. Noah Mayer was officially gone.

A/N YasuJ: You see? That's why I don't write this stuff. I put myself in trouble. Now I gotta finish it. Thinking about it… it may be four or five chapters. Aww, shit. Anyway, read and review I guess.

Noah: Wait! You can't stop there. What happened to me? Where am I?

Luke: I wanna know too!

YasuJ: Shut it! They'll find out, it's not like they can't guess! Now please be quiet. I may not have a pitchfork but I have a broomstick!

Luke: laugh What are you gonna do? Sweep us to death?

YasuJ: Try me, lover boy. I'll make your pretty little boyfriend disappear for a lot longer than you think. Same goes for you Blue Eyes!

Luke and Noah: silence

YasuJ: Much better. Cookies to anyone who guesses what Noah got Luke, and you gotta give a full description of it. If I like your idea, I'll use it in the story. Oh, and if anyone wants to be my beta… yeah send me a message. Anywhosit, R & R. Ja ne, minna-san.


	2. The Power of Persistence pt1

Disclaimer: Yeah. Don't own it and all that jazz.

A/N: Hiyee!! Welcome to the second part of… Missing! dud dud duhdah!! Fanfare! Apparently I got some really nice reviews or else you wouldn't be seeing this again.

Luke: You're kidding, right?

Noah: Yeah, you wouldn't really just leave me and Luke like that?

A/N: What? Bawling? Lost? Of course! Now don't interrupt my note to the readers. Where was I? Oh yes, I would like to thank my reviewers (zcst4eva, Vaula) and all the readers that didn't review. Either you didn't like it or you just didn't want to and I'm cool with that. Trust me. Now, on with the show! Um, story! kk

Chapter 2

The Power of Persistence pt1

There was a strange pain in Luke's chest. It wasn't physical, he knew that much, but the knowledge couldn't stop him from trying to rub the ache out of his heart. You need him, that's what it was trying to say. Luke knew that well, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He sat at one end of the living room couch, his back towards the arm rest with his head buried in his knees. His available hand had his cell phone and was clenching and releasing it reflexively. Every hour, he would press redial, put it on speakerphone and wait. Every hour, he would listen to six frustrating rings. Every hour he would hear, "Hi. This is Noah. Leave a message and I'll get back to you." And every hour he would choke back sobs while the ache grew stronger.

He wasn't sure, but he must have done that say 19, 20 times. As he thought about it, he realized that he hadn't slept at any time. That might explain why his mom was looking at him with such a worried expression from the doorway.

"What is it?" Luke whispered, barely able to form the words for some reason.

Lily entered the room and took a seat next her son. His position denied her offering him any real comfort and it didn't seemed like he would move anytime soon. "Honey," she began tentatively, placing a hand on his knee. "You need to stop this. You're torturing yourself by calling him over and over. You haven't eaten for an entire day. You've barely said a word since the other night and we're concerned about you. Now your dad is with the police and they're doing the best that they can, but no-one in town knows where Noah went and… Luke? Luke, look at me, please. Luke?"

But Luke couldn't do it. He refused to believe that a day had passed, and had turned to look out the window. It felt like the darkness outside was taunting him. A whole day… His hand tightened as he fought the urge to call Noah again. Maybe this time…

"Luke!" Said person jumped and looked around wildly, eyes coming to rest on Lily. She had moved at some point and was now on her knees beside him. Tears welled in her eyes and she reached out, wrapping her arms around him and murmuring promises of finding his love.

Luke knew it was his mother hugging him, he knew that. But he_ felt_ Noah, his last hug and the feelings it gave him. He _heard_ Noah, promising to be here. The ache grew with each passing second. "Noah…" he mumbled. Like the endless mantra of a broken record, again and again, "Noah, Noah, Noah..."

* * *

It was a different kind of chest pain greeting Noah Mayer at the moment. The best way to explain it would be a waking ache. The more he woke, the more the pain intensified in different parts of his body. He considered it pretty important when it hurt to breathe. Coughing slightly, he tasted blood and swallowed, an odd sensation following it. He opened his eyes… and immediately shut them again. There was just no way… "No way… in hell…" he groaned.

He tried to shift himself a little, just to test the believability of the situation. That was a bad idea. White hot pain exploded from his left leg, causing him to cry out as spots danced across his closed lids. He would have passed out if not for the throbbing in the back if his head. There was a small twinge in his left shoulder and a lurching in his stomach that didn't exactly qualify as pain but was still noteworthy.

Noah was carefully cataloguing these areas as proof. Proof of what, you're wondering? Proof that he was actually in his truck, upside down, being suspended by his seatbelt.

"What happened?" he asked aloud, as though someone could hear him. The answer could only come from him though. He remembered driving very fast, going… somewhere. He couldn't remember where, just that it was important. Then he saw… saw something… What was wrong with him? The throbbing in his head was turning into a pounding, his chest hurt so badly, his leg was pulsating pain every _millisecond_ and the spots were back with a vengeance, all making it very hard to concentrate. Just as he was about to succumb to the darkness encroaching on his vision, something in his mind clicked into place and he remembered the important thing. "Luke…" he called softly, slipping into the shadows.

* * *

The spoon that was in Luke's hand clattered to the floor as he gasped. Lily had somehow persuaded him to put down the phone, leave the couch, take a shower, and come down into the kitchen for something to eat. He couldn't explain it but he just wasn't hungry, the very thought of food unsettling to his stomach. How could he eat when he was so worried about Noah? The look he received from his mother though, even across the table, was enough to make him lift the rounded utensil and take a few spoonfuls of the overly sweetened instant oatmeal.

Then he felt something. He didn't know what it was and he didn't know how to describe it. Just a feeling, but it was strong. Like love and sorrow mixed together in transient plane, filling the void within him. And then, it was gone and Luke felt so hollow without it.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Lily couldn't stand seeing the raw emotion on her son's face. Utter loss, that's what he reflected. It was a feeling she had experienced many times in her relationship with Holden, so to see it displayed so clearly in his eyes nearly broke her heart. She got up and circled the table, coming to stand directly in front of him. "Luke, say something!"

Luke looked at his mother, really looked at her. He saw the dark circles under her eyes, the tiny tremble in the corner of her mouth, the way her entire body seemed to sag with fatigue and he felt guilty. 'She's only trying to help,' he thought. Rising from his chair, he placed his arms around his mother hesitantly. "Thank you for trying," he said in a low voice. Letting go, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. He then turned and walked away from her, into the living room where he reassumed his position on the couch and took back up his phone, hitting redial instantly.

* * *

**"**_**And then I crashed into you  
and I went up in flames.  
Could've been the death of me,  
**__**But then you breathed your breath in me."  
**_The little voice above Noah was annoying him into awakening. Pain was blossoming again but his leg was the worst. It was trapped between the dashboard and the door somehow, preventing Noah from even releasing the seatbelt and righting himself. With the slightest movement it felt like thousands of glass shards where trying to pierce through him. His stomach lurched again, but then something registered in his mind._  
__**"And I crashed into you  
like a runaway train."  
**_The voice was coming from _above_ him. He looked up towards the roof, searching for the source._  
__**"You will consume me,"  
**_It was his cell phone ringing, he should've been ecstatic.  
**_But I can't walk away."  
_**But he wasn't. It was out of his reach, all the way over on the passenger side of the truck. Just great.

* * *

A/N YasuJ: Wow. Second chapter. Can't believe I did that.

Noah: He's hurting!

Luke: You put him in pain!

Noah: You're so heartless!

Luke: Borderline evil!

YasuJ: Simmer down boys. Need I remind you of my power right now? Eternal suffering for you both if you don't shut up. Be glad you're even here, I need you for characterization.


	3. The Power of Persistence pt2

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters mentioned in this story. None whatsoever.

A/N: I kinda rushed the last chapter because I knew I wouldn't have time to write for a while. Sorry to keep you all waiting. This is a continuation of the previous chapter, picking up right where we left off. Thanks to my reviewers (zcst4eva, Nickeltjuh, angelabaldwin). And also thanks to my lovely beta zcst4eva for making my story sound even better. I realized I didn't mention something important in the last one so I'll fix it here. Thanks again for reading.

Chapter 3

The Power of Persistence pt 2

"Just a bit more… Almost there… Come on, damn it…" It had been twenty minutes since Noah's phone had stopped ringing. Twenty minutes of him trying to twist and stretch across the roof to grasp the tiny item and maybe get some help. It had lit up when it was ringing, a lone light in this dark of his, but in his haste to try and get it he accidentally managed to push it further away, towards the back of the truck. So he had a pretty good idea of where it was, and several times it bumped against the tips of his fingers. He just… couldn't… reach it!

Sighing loudly, he felt the strain in his shoulder and let his arm hang a moment where it came to rest on the roof. He was starting to get dizzy from not being upright and was losing the battle against nausea. 'I can't take much more of this…' he thought, looking down at his leg, or up at it. God, he was so confused.

Bracing himself, his torso bent as his hands reached out towards the radiant pain source. Maybe if he could just get his leg free… Noah felt along his pant leg, the cold, sticky dampness he encountered there not surprising him. He was prepared for the pain, teeth grit and eyes fastened shut, but he didn't expect that when he arrived at mid-calf, he'd feel something protruding out from him. Oh, did he scream! It may have lasted for only five seconds, but it was the longest five seconds of his life.

But he wasn't ready to give up just yet. He remembered Luke's present, tucked away safely in the glove compartment and was reminded of the moment he decided to get it.

* * *

_"Noah, you're such a pig!" Luke exclaimed, trying to suppress his laughter._

_"Ah, but you love me for it my dear Luke." It was late Tuesday afternoon and Al's diner was mostly empty, except for a few stragglers finishing their meals. The dinner crowd wouldn't set in until later that evening, so there was a calm period in between that Noah and Luke enjoyed taking advantage of._

_"So, what did you get me?" Luke asked with a bright smile, placing his cup on the table. Currently they were seated across from each other in a window booth and Noah was trying not to choke on his last bit of hamburger. It wasn't a small bit to say the least._

_"Get you for what?" He asked simply after swallowing a large amount of soda. He glanced at Luke and quickly moved onto the French fries, taking two and three into his mouth at a time. Noah was so absorbed in eating that he completely missed Luke's portrayal of a gaping fish._

_"Are you kidding?" Noah shook his head negatively and chomped down two more fries. "Noah… my birthday is this week! On Friday!" Luke said in a shocked voice. Suddenly, Noah was choking for a completely different reason, and the mashed potato bits weren't helping. Luke's face fell gradually. "You forgot, didn't you?" he stated, his voice tinged with disappointment._

_"No! No, I didn't forget. Honest!" And it was the truth. Noah hadn't forgotten that Luke's birthday was coming, he had just forgotten that Luke's birthday was coming. He had been spending so much time thinking about classes and his escalating relationship with Luke that apparently he wasn't thinking about Luke himself, who was gazing at him with such a sad expression. "Luke, I swear, I didn't mean to-"_

_"Save it, Noah. Just… save it. It's okay," Luke sighed softly and seemed to glare at the table for a moment before looking at Noah again. He appeared to be more composed and was even giving a half smile, but his eyes… The chocolate eyes usually so full of love and warmth only showed betrayal. "It's okay that you forgot, really. Now you still have time. I'll um… I'll see you at home, okay?" With that he slid out of the booth and left. Noah felt about one inch tall._

_He cleared out the remainders of their food and went to the register to pay, contemplating what on earth he could do to make it up to Luke. Henry, who was wiping the counter, saw the look and questioned him as to what was wrong. Noah told him, rehashing the last 10 minutes with a distressed air. He then asked Henry what he would do in that situation._

_"Well, first off, that wouldn't happen,' He said with a slight smile. "Vienna would have had it marked down on every available calendar in the house for weeks! But that doesn't help you does it?"_

_Noah shook his head, 'No'._

_"If it had happened, I'd probably have to spend hours apologizing until she got completely sick of me." Henry said slowly, as if thinking about his words carefully. "Then I'd go out and by her something that came from the heart, but was expensive. And gift cards don't qualify. Do you understand?"_

_"Yeah, I don't think Luke would appreciate a card, um…" Then it hit him. He knew exactly what to get Luke. It was perfect, but he didn't have the money or time. Scrambling for his bag and change, Noah smiled at Henry in a panicked sort of way. "Henry, I gotta go! Thanks for the help, seriously!" He dashed out of the diner and jumped into his truck. Luke was going to be so surprised, if he ever forgave him! Had he turned at that moment, he would've seen the knowing smile on Henry's face as he continued wiping the counter._

_"Congratulations, Noah."_

So Noah had gone to the bank that night and taken 600 from his savings. He didn't have that much to begin with, and it pulled at something inside him to just take it out but he knew he had to do it. Luke meant too much to him to just leave things at where they stood now.

With that newfound motivation, Noah reached for his leg once again, tiny gasps and whimpers escaping him as he tried to manoeuvre it out of its confinement. It hurt, he couldn't lie, and he thought he might die from the pain alone. It wouldn't budge, no matter how hard he tried and Noah was shaking and panting with the effort. "Somebody help me!" He screamed out into the night, pounding on the roof in frustration. "Anybody! I need help! Please!" His voice caught in his throat as he started to cry. "Please…"

* * *

"You have a phone call, Luke." It was almost 1:30 in the morning and Luke was not any closer to sleeping now than he had been in the past two, maybe three hours especially now. Holden had returned earlier, allowing Lily the opportunity to get some rest, but not without some bad news first.

"I've been talking with Dallas," Holden said, rubbing his neck in tired circles as he sat on one of the counter stools. "The police have expanded their search to all towns within a 300 mile radius. His picture and information has been sent to all outposts. Wherever Noah was going, he made sure it was a secret. I don't understand how he could have disappeared like this!"

"So they don't have any leads?" Lily had moved behind him, resting her hands on shoulders to take over the massage.

"None. They've been in contact with the stations in other towns. No person by the name of Noah Mayer has been arrested, there's no record of him in any hospital and no reported traffic accidents involving a blue Ford truck. Noah could be well out of State by now! It's like he's vanished!"

"So do we tell Luke?"

Unbeknownst to them, Luke had been standing in the doorway of the kitchen since Holden sat down. He moved off silently, just as Holden said, "It might be best if he doesn't know."

That was half an hour ago and Luke was about to hit redial again. He knew he was being obsessive but he couldn't help it. Just as his finger was about to press down, his father came into the living room with the cordless phone.

"Who is it?" he asked, hopefully. Holden just shook the phone in his direction and Luke grabbed it from him. "Hello?"

"Hey Luke, I just heard! Are you ok?"

"Oh. Hi, Maddie…"

* * *

Through with self-pity, Noah got back to the task at hand. He pulled and tugged and twisted and cried but the leg, the leg refused to cooperate. His closed eyes couldn't stop the moisture that threatened to leak out again. "Luke, I'm so sorry," he said softly.

"So that's it, huh? You're just gonna give up?" The familiar voice startled Noah so badly that his heart skipped three beats. He turned his head to the right in disbelief. But there he was, sitting in the passenger seat upside down, grinning at him. Luke Snyder.

"Hi, Noah… Miss me?"

* * *

A/N YasuJ: And the third chapter is finished! -waiting for remarks-…Where are they?

Luke and Noah: -nowhere to be found-

YasuJ: Oh great! Now I've misplaced the characters. The readers are gonna kill me! –to the readers- Um, never fear! They shall be found! In the meantime, R&R! –yelling- Nuke! Loah! Where are you?


	4. Of Heartache and Hallucinations

Disclaimer: I totally don't own them. If I did though, there would be so much more… more… MORE! Y'know?

A/N: Um, Okay! Welcome to the fourth chapter! Thanks to angelabaldwin for reviewing and all my other readers. And special thanks to zcst4eva for being by beta. Wonderful person she is. I still haven't found the uh, the boys. It's possible that they may be hiding from me 'cause of the whole eternal suffering thing. It was just a joke, guys! Ha ha? –Silence- Come on fellas! I need you! –More silence- Okay, on with the story!

Chapter 4

Of Heartache and Hallucinations

"You're not real, y-you can't be…" Noah stared wide-eyed at the image of Luke sitting beside him, shaking his head. "You're a- a manifestation brought on by guilt or something…"

The fake Luke chucked slightly, startling Noah. "I _am_ real, Noah, in a way. You had a subconscious need for me, so here I am. Don't give me that look! And you're not going crazy so stop thinking that."

Blinking rapidly, Noah turned away from Luke and closed his eyes, slowly counting to five. Taking a deep breath, he turned back and peeked at the seat through one eye. "Still here," Luke said in a singsong way. Resigning himself, Noah looked at the Luke fully and reached out towards his cheek. His hand passed right through.

"What do you want from me?"

"No, Noah. It's what you want. Why do you want to hurt Luke so much?" The question was unexpected to say the least, and Noah didn't know what to think. Luke continued on, "Because that's what it seems like you want. You can get yourself out of this; you can get free and reach that phone. You just haven't tried hard enough."

"I've tried!" Noah shouted angrily. "I've been trying! I just can't do it!"

"But you can! You_ can_ do it, and you need to do it now! Pretty soon the battery in that phone is gonna run out and then what? Then what, Noah? Answer me!"

"I don't know!"

"You'll die, that's what! And then, weeks later when they find you, dead from blood loss or dehydration, what'll happen to me? What'll happen to the real Luke, Noah, when he finds you?"

"Stop it! Just stop, okay!" Noah had such a headache from all this. He felt faint and nauseated and so very tired but the thought of Luke finding his body made him sick to his stomach. 'I can't do that to him, I can't,' he thought and told as much to the figment of his imagination.

"You know what you have to do, Noah. I can't do it for you." Luke stretched his hand down and tried to touch Noah's leg. Noah shivered when the hand went_ into_ his knee. A sad smile graced the Luke's face when he straightened himself and Noah bent again, gripping his leg tighter than ever. "Now… pull!"

* * *

"So… how uh, how are you enjoying Wesleyan?" A sigh travelled through the earpiece and Luke actually smiled a bit. He had been avoiding Maddie's questions with his own for the past five minutes and she had allowed it, but he could tell she was getting frustrated. "Henry says you're doing great in your classes and-"

"Luke," she said finally, and Luke's smile faded. "I didn't call to talk about school and you know that. I wanna know how you're feeling about this."

"How I'm feeling about… about this?" he parroted. When she didn't reply he gave a sigh of his own and wrapped his free arm around his knees. "I don't… I-it's… hard, Maddie. It's hard not knowing where he is or if he's okay. I keep thinking about how things were between us before he left."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. We weren't fighting or anything, we just… we weren't on the best of terms. I can't even begin to…"

Luke's voice dropped away suddenly and Maddie was wondering if the call was cut off. "Luke, are you there?"

"The last thing I said to him was, 'I will beat your ass with the sharp end of a pitchfork if you're late, so go already.'" It was barely a whisper and Maddie had to concentrate hard just to hear him. Luke gave a wry laugh, "I was… upset with him 'cause he forgot my birthday earlier and a small part of me really wanted to hurt him. Oh but Maddie, I didn't want this! And I'm so scared, that wherever he is, he thinks that I don't love him."

"Luke, I'm sure he doesn't think-"

"How?" His voice shook terribly, and Luke could feel himself trembling. "How are you sure? I'm terrified that I'll never see him again, o-or that the next time I do see him, he… he'll be… and I won't have the chance…"

"Oh, Luke…"

* * *

"It's hopeless," Noah sighed, rubbing the bridge if his nose. He and the imaginary Luke, who was still there for some reason, had been working on getting his foot free with little progress. It had shifted once, Noah thought, but then it might have been wishful thinking. All of this moving was aggravating the other injuries, especially his chest and shoulder, and he felt more tired than ever. He just wanted to sleep, but Luke wouldn't let him.

"No it's not! Just keep going for Pete's sake!" Okay, this was getting on his nerves. He was arguing with himself as another person and on some level that qualified insanity or at least mental illness. "For the last time, I'm not you," Luke replied to his unspoken question, "I'm the Luke of your memories, constructed by your mind to _help you get the hell out of here_! So would you please concentrate on the bigger picture and do some work? I swear… how the real Luke puts up with this I do not know."

"Alright, calm down. I'll pull," Noah said changing the position of his hands. Exhaling sharply, Noah heaved with all of his remaining strength, determined to achieve freedom. At first, nothing happened, but Noah just kept tugging, trying to see past the pain. Luke urgently whispered encouraging words and Noah closed his eyes, feeling his way around the leg while pulling.

Then, it moved. Only slightly but it moved. Noah was excited to say the least and kept pulling. "Ahh…" The pain in his leg was increasing steadily, his chest and shoulder were aching, and his headache was back twenty-fold but all of that couldn't stop him. If he just kept pulling in that direction…

And… with a God-awful squelching noise, his leg shifted, slid across and he was _free_. Just like that. He did it. Noah stared for a moment, unable to believe. Then laughter, hysterical breathless laughter, which quickly turned into sobs of pure relief. He laid his head back against the seat and looked over at Luke, but he was gone. Staring into the empty space, Noah wasn't surprised, but it felt lonely without him, even if he wasn't real. He wasn't done yet though.

Pushing the release button on the seatbelt, Noah eased himself down unto the roof, careful of his leg. The change in position was doing a doozy on his head though. Once Noah could sit upright, he fell back down again, breathing heavily. 'Just a short rest,' he assured himself, 'I just need a minute…' And he was out cold, the cell phone lying forgotten beside him.

* * *

"Luke, don't think like that! It's not healthy," Maddie was trying, she really was and Luke appreciated it, but he was a stubborn person.

"Then tell me how to think!" He threw back at her in anger. "Because I feel like I'm going crazy, sitting here. I can't think straight… I'm so tired, but I can't sleep! What am I supposed to do, huh?"

"Luke, I-" She tried to interject, but Luke just forged on, unaware of Maddie's attempt. It was as though something locked away down deep within him, all of the fears and insecurities that had been building for the past two days were breaking through. And Luke made no attempts to stop the rampage.

"Am I supposed to go around like nothing's wrong? Like I don't feel the way I do? Because I can't… I miss him… so freaking much! It doesn't make any sense! It hasn't even been two days and I feel so… _lost_ without him. It's like… like I can't even breathe sometimes and that's crazy enough as it is, but my heart hurts too." Luke was crying all through it, his body shaking with suppressed sobs while his voice cracked and faded. "It's just wrong; it feels wrong in the pit of my stomach. I don't know how to explain it, but I know he's not alright. And I'm so afraid of the possibility that he's already… a-and I'll have to identify his… Maddie, I don't think I can handle that…"

With that, Luke broke down for the second time since Noah disappeared. On the other end of the line, Maddie felt silent tears slip down her cheeks as she listened to her best friend make such heart-wrenching noises. "Noah, please be okay. For all our sakes…"

* * *

A/N YasuJ: -crying rather loudly-

Noah and Luke: -peek around the corner-

Luke: What's wrong? We thought you didn't need us.

YasuJ: -spins around- you came back! –Hugs them both tightly-

Noah: Okay! We get it! Air!

YasuJ: -lets them go- I feel better now. Okay, now is it me or are these chapters getting longer bit by bit? Anywho, onwards and upwards! R&R! Ja ne!


	5. Respite in Spite

Disclaimer: Hmm… cha cha cha, nothing belongs to me, cha cha cha.

A/N: Note time! And we have arrived at the fifth (go ahead, count it), fifth chapter. Whoohoo! And I'd like the boys to do the intro this time.

Luke: -reading from a printer sheet- We'd like to thank AngelofMusic18 and Nickeltjuh for reading and reviewing the last chapter. This story would be left to scatter in the wind without all of your continued support. Oh my God...

Noah: -takes the sheet- We'd also like to thank zcst4eva for being a wonderful person. It means a great deal to us all that you'd take the time out of your life to beta this story. She says this every time...

Luke and Noah: -simultaneously- Now the continuation of Missing!

**Chapter 5**

**Respite in spite**

Luke felt warmth on his face as he woke and turned away, burrowing deeper into the covers. Wait, covers? Eyes snapping open, Luke quickly looked around and was satisfied when he found that he was still in the living room. Someone, most likely his father, had thrown a green blanket over him while he was sleeping, and had taken the cordless phone with them. And that's another thing, why was he sleeping in the first place?

Mind working overtime, he stretched as he tried to remember last night. He had been talking to Maddie, and then he cried for some length of time. Turning red with embarrassment, Luke made a mental note to apologize to her, but it then got more difficult to remember. His body had felt leaden and numb around that time. It had been getting harder to focus on what Maddie was saying. Then… nothing.

"What the hell?" he asked aloud, pushing the blanket away. That wasn't natural for him; he didn't go from lucid to lethargic so quickly, even when he was dead tired. Not unless he took a sleeping pill did that happen. But he didn't… unless… The oatmeal… "Oh Mom, how could you?" It'd been so sweet to cover up the medication she was slipping him. And he didn't eat the whole thing, so it took longer. She knew he hated pills! This was unbelievable.

Shaking his head, Luke suddenly realized something else. His cell phone wasn't in his hand. He checked the floor, thinking he'd dropped it. It wasn't there. He stood up and looked between the cushions, under the cushions, under the _couch_. He even shook out his covers, several times. But his cell phone was gone. They took it. Oh, this was war.

Intent on getting some answers, Luke stalked into the kitchen where Lily and Holden were eating breakfast quietly. "Hi Luke," his mother opened brightly. "We've got scrambled eggs and French toast f-"

"Where is it?" Luke was seething with anger, and it seemed like the tone of his voice conveyed that, for Holden stopped eating and looked at his son, carefully assessing him.

"What are you talking about, Luke?" He said slowly as though trying not to upset him any more than he already was. 'Too late for that,' he thought and a laugh escaped from somewhere within him. It was slightly high pitched and his parents glanced at each other, worried.

"Don't play dumb with me, I know you have it. Give it back!"

"Luke, I don't underst-"

"Shut up Mom!" Luke exploded, ignoring the shocked and upset faces in front of him. "I know you drugged me last night so don't even talk to me!"

A chair scraped loudly against the floor as Holden stood in outrage. "Luke Snyder, control yourself! You never speak to your mother that way! Now apologize. I'm serious, Luke!"

Taking a deep breath, Luke nodded and sat on of the stool wearily. He felt queasy and irritated as he exhaled, not a welcome combination. "I'm sorry, Mom, I really am. You're both trying to help me and I get that, but I just want my phone back."

Holden's eyes were searching Luke's for any signs of another outburst. When he found none, he reached into his back pocket and took out the familiar item. Before Luke could grab it out of his hand, he pulled it back. "Listen to me. Your mother told me what you've been doing. When I give this to you, you cannot call Noah."

"One more time."

"Luke…"

"Please… just one more…" Luke's entire body was begging, pleading with him to understand. This was his only lifeline to Noah, the only way he could hear his voice for a little while. And something was telling him that this was the last chance he had. "Please…"

Not able to bear that look on his son's face, Holden relented and placed the phone into Luke's waiting palms. Nervous for some reason, Luke pressed the call button for the final time and placed it on the table, hoping against all hope that something, anything would happen.

* * *

"Noah… Noah, wake up…" The voice in his ear was comforting and Noah smiled, not quite ready to get up yet. His bed was a lot harder than usual, but it was okay. Plus, he didn't feel that well so maybe Luke would let him sleep in today. "Noah, the phone is ringing!" Let it ring, he'll call them back. He might be getting the flu or something; thirst was killing him right now. He had a hell of a headache and his body was aching, especially his left leg. Well, now that wasn't right. His leg shouldn't hurt that much.

"NOAH!" He jerked awake, blinking rapidly at the sunlight entering his truck. The sudden movement caused pain to shoot trough his entire body and he coughed weakly. It had been better when he was upside down if you could believe it. Now that he was free, the blood was flowing more readily to his leg, his ribcage could actually expand, and his limbs had more movement; but he would be damned before he passed out again so soon. He could see that his hands were stained in sticky crimson fluid that matched the bottom half of his jeans.

But Luke had called him so… wait, Luke… 'How…' he thought, staring at the dashboard in a daze. There was no one here to scream him like that. Then he remembered what the voice was shouting at him for.

"_**-ashed into you  
**__**Like a runaway train"**_

Noah slowly reached over and grasped the small, important object firmly in his grip. It sounded softer than before.

"_**You will consu-" **_

Instantly knowing who it was, Noah flipped open the phone with haste. "Luke," he breathed quietly as he placed it to his ear.

* * *

Luke almost fainted when he heard Noah's voice. He snatched the phone off of the table, gripping it with strength he didn't know he had. "Noah!"

Lying on the roof, Noah smiled while closing his eyes. "Hi…"

"Don't 'Hi' me! Where are you? What the hell happened?" Behind Luke, Lily had already jumped from her chair and was phoning the police. Holden was on standby, ready to relay the information to her quietly. The line was silent for a while and Luke was worried that he'd lost him. "Noah?"

"I don't know…" Noah answered to both questions. "I don't know what happened. And I'm not sure where I am." He paused to cough again, the taste of copper increasing greatly. "Only that I'm on a hill."

"A hill?" Groaning, Luke tried a different approach. "Noah, where did you go before the hill?"

Oh, that was easy enough to answer. "Fairview…" he said reaching up to the glove compartment and picking up the small blue box that fell out.

"Fairview! Noah, that's almost 200 miles away! What the hell were you doing there?"

Noah didn't like the way Luke was yelling at him. It was giving him another headache and he'd had enough of those, thank you very much. He clutched the box to his chest. "I wanted to… surprise you. I was coming back… with your present…"

Luke felt furious. He had lied on top of everything! "Noah, you told me you already had it! If I knew-"

"Luke, focus!" It was his father. "Ask him how far out of Fairview he is and deal with the petty arguments later!" He was absolutely right. Luke was just too fizzled out to deal with this.

"Noah, how far did you get?"

Noah was getting frustrated to say the least. He couldn't remember. And now he felt woozy, tired. "Half an hour out, maybe? But I was driving… really fast, so I'm not sure…" The dashboard was looking like a weird shade of green and brown. Oh no, wait that's a tree…

"Hey," Luke said gently. "Are you okay? You sound weird."

Glancing down at a particular place, Noah replied, "I can handle it…"

"So you'll be home in a few hours, right?" When Noah didn't say anything, Luke started to get worried all over again. "Noah?" Then the bottom dropped out.

"I can't really move, Luke. My truck is sort of… upside down right now, and I think my body's maxed out from getting… _not_ upside down?" That sounded about right. He didn't really care anymore. So tired… "If you could call an ambulance now that would be great… I just… really need a nap…"

"NOAH!" He slammed back into awareness, jerking his leg _again_. Wow, déjà vu…

Luke was shaking, with what he didn't know: grief, fear, madness; maybe a mix of them all. "Don't you ever, _ever_ fade on me, Noah," he said softly. "Hear me when I say this, you'll be okay. You're gonna be fine. Noah? Noah!"

"Luke?" Noah opened his eyes tiredly and looked at the phone. On the screen, it blinked low battery once, twice and then went blank. 'He was right…' he smiled and went into the darkness once more.

* * *

Luke was being a bit crazy in the Snyder kitchen. "Come on, come on!"

Let's play a game shall we? How many times can Luke press the call button before his father takes the cell phone away? One, three, seven, fourt- oh denied! "Dad, no! He was right there!"

"Luke, it's alright!" Holden stated in a rush. When did he put his jacket on? Why was he holding Luke's jacket? "Your mother's already told the police everything. They've contacted the Fairview Police Department and sent out search parties, and an ambulance. Now we have to go!" Practically pushing Luke off of the chair, he gave him his jacket and ran around for his keys.

"Dad, where are we go-?"

"Fairview Memorial Hospital."

A/N YasuJ: -not there-

Luke: -to Noah- Uh, what do we do?

Noah: -shrugs-

Luke: Um, Chapter five is completed! Finally we're getting somewhere! Apologies... YasuJ was kinda… incapacitated, so you didn't hear from her for a while. Read and review!

Noah: Ja ne!

Luke: Oh, nice touch!


	6. The Gift

Disclaimer: Yeah… they know by now

A/N: Does anyone even read these? Anyway guess whose back? That's right! Me! I am so sorry! Life caught me in a choke-hold and I got nowhere near the computer for like two or three weeks. I graduated! I got the highest of high honours at my school, isn't that awesome? But yeah, enough about me. Thanks to reviewers angelabaldwin, AngelofMusic18, Forbidden Romance and ToraChibiChan (please don't explode again). Also, I'm in need of a new beta, zcst4eva was great but she's busy now and I get that. On with the story.

Chapter 5.5 (seriously I started the next chapter before this one, is that weird?)

The Gift

Holden was worried about his son. Luke had been silent ever since they left the farm, staring out of the passenger window with no readable expression. As soon as Holden mentioned Fairview Memorial would probably be closer when they found Noah, Luke became quiet. Extremely quiet. The sudden mood swings were disturbing and a part of him, a strong part, wanted to blame Noah. Noah was always causing Luke pain in some way and Holden was getting tired out it. At times he wished that they'd never met. But then, Noah had a redeeming quality about himself that made Holden think he was the best thing to happen to Luke sometimes.

Right now though, as they made their way to the hospital, Holden wanted to kill Noah. That is, if he wasn't already dead. Luke chose that moment to look at his father, as if picking up on his thoughts. "He's gonna be ok, right? They're gonna find him?" Luke asked in a small voice, reminding Holden of a child seeking reassurance that there were no monsters under the bed.

"Of course they will," he answered, sounding more confident then he actually felt. "Now that they know the direction Noah went in they can search the roads from Oakdale to Fairview more specifically." Taking his eyes from the road, he looked into Luke's bloodshot ones. "They'll find him, don't worry."

"It's pretty much all I can do." And with that, Luke turned back to the window. Holden let his eyes linger on him a moment longer before turning back to the road. They still had an hour or so of driving left before they got even remotely close to Fairview, so Holden let his thoughts drift. He thought about Lily, back at home with the girls and Ethan. He thought about Noah, lost somewhere out there. He thought about Luke-

"Ahh!" The cry of pain surprised Holden so much, the car swerved dangerously into the other lane.

"What! What is it?" He looked at Luke, hunched over in his seat, hand gripping his chest tightly. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Stop the car…" came a whisper just as Holden glanced at the road. There was still the one o' clock traffic to consider.

"Luke, what are you-"

"Stop the car!" A seatbelt released, and Luke flung open the door, jumping out before Holden could halt the vehicle.

"Luke! Are you crazy?" He shouted, but Luke had already run from the car and was crossing the other lane, barely dodging a red Hyundai. "My God!" was all Holden could say as Luke darted into the trees on the road side. Making sure the car was parked, Holden took off after his son.

* * *

'This is insane,' Luke thought as he ran through the forest. He didn't even know where he was going; it was like his feet had a mind of their own. His father was close behind him, calling out his name, but he couldn't stop now. There was something here, he could feel it. It was calling out to him, to his heart.

Slowing down but not stopping, he looked around at the trees, confused. Back in the car, it was like something had stabbed Luke in the chest and now it was reeling him in. 'What is this?' Then, he understood. "Noah? Where are you? Noah!" Picking up speed, Luke was pretty sure his father heard him, but that was minor. Noah was reaching out to him. That thought spurred Luke to run as fast as he possibly could.

Five minutes later, Luke was panting and he knew he had to stop. Pausing to catch his breath, he leaned against a tall oak tree. The sun shone easily through the spaces in the trees, allowing Luke to see everything but what he wanted. 'Come on. Where are you?' He let his eyes roam around, even as the tugging grew more insistent. There was nothing to indicate Noah being around there at all.

"Luke!" Said person jumped and turned around completely, meeting the sweaty face of his father. "What… what is wrong with you? You jump from a moving car, run through traffic- Have you lost your mind?" Maybe he _was_ crazy; maybe he was hoping so much that Noah was here that his mind was playing tricks on him. No, this was too real to be a trick. "Well?"

"It's Noah, dad."

"What," Holden paused to look around sceptically, "here?"

"Yes. No. Yea-I don't know, okay?" It was the truth. Noah could be here, somewhere just out of sight. Luke placed a hand on his chest. "I think I can feel him." Then Luke noticed something. The tugging wasn't as strong as before, the feeling was fading. He turned away from Holden and was about to run again when his father grabbed his arm.

"Luke-"

"Dad, please." He wanted to cry. Noah was slipping away from him. "If I'm wrong then we can go back. But I know I'm not and we're running out of time!" His father glared at him but Luke stood his ground. Finally, Holden let him go.

"Lead away." And lead Luke did, in a very straight line. They began to go up a steep incline but Luke kept going. Something glinted on the ground ahead. Luke slowed down to pick it up. It was a jagged piece of broken mirror. The pair glanced at each other, with Holden taking out his cell phone to dial 911 as they began to walk carefully, coming across more bits and pieces of the truck until finally-

"Oh God, Noah!" The truck had flipped over, smashing fender first into a tree which stopped it from rolling even further downhill. It was banged up pretty badly, with huge dents and scratches everywhere. Luke ran over, sliding across the dirt like a pro baseball player to stop near the driver's side. Rocks and glass scraped at his arms but he didn't care. On the ground he could see the unconscious Noah inside, lying on the roof. "Jesus…"

Noah looked terrible. His face was purple and red with half healed bruises and cuts. His shirt was torn and stained brown with dried blood, and his arms were sliced up and down. And his legs… Luke almost threw up when he saw bone sticking out. The left one was twisted at an extreme angle and there was a dark puddle growing under it. He looked… dead. Luke fought with the bent metal of the door, trying hard to open it, but it was stuck. Trying the passenger door, he was a bit more successful. The door could only open partially, but it was enough for Luke to wiggle himself into the space.

Knowing better than to try and move Noah, Luke took to stroking the sides of his face as gently as he possibly could. The scent of stale blood was overwhelming him, but he had to be strong or he would lose it completely. Now that he was close, the shuddering rise and fall of Noah's chest was easy to see. "Noah," he choked out. The tears were there, waiting. "Noah, wake up. I'm here. Noah, I'm here."

* * *

Noah was stranded in an endless sea of pain. 'Luke…' For hours, he'd been calling, but wave after wave crashed over him, rendering him helpless. 'Luke… Help me…' He was fighting to open his eyes but his body refused to cooperate. After an eternity, they opened, but he still couldn't move. "Lu…Luke" he coughed.

"I'm here, babe. Right here," A fuzzy blonde angel moved into Noah's line of sight. Was he really here? Or was it another figment? It was probably fake, but then, the other couldn't touch him. This one could, or did he imagine that too? Whatever, it felt nice. Everything else hurt too much. Maybe he was dying…

"I love y-you, Luke," Even if it was a fake, an illusion, Luke had to know how he really felt.

"I love you too," Luke replied tearfully, kissing Noah softly. He didn't want him to talk. It was like one of Noah's old movies, when the hero cradled his fallen lover in his arms as they whispered good-bye to each other. That always sucked. "Now, just… just relax. Save your energy."

But Noah couldn't do that yet, not before he knew. There was so much he wanted to say. How sorry he was, how much he needed him, how scared he was. "I have a… a question first…" God, it was getting harder to breathe without coughing.

Smiling slightly, Luke nodded. He could hear the sirens in the distance. "Ok then, ask me."

Using what little strength he had left, Noah brought his hands up. Shaking, he removed one of Luke's hands from his face and placed the pale blue box, now sticky and streaked red in Luke's palm. "W-will you marry me?"

Luke blinked in shock at the thing in his hand. "Noah, I…" His mind had gone completely blank. This was… this… Noah wanted to marry him? He didn't know what to say. Not 'no', he'd never say no. But 'yes' scared the crap out of him.

Noah didn't understand why Luke wouldn't answer. He didn't have the time to understand either, everything was getting darker. "You said…" he gasped. "You lo-oved me…"

"I do love you!" Luke did, with all his heart. But he was scared. To say yes right now would mean he trusted Noah with his heart completely. He wanted to, so badly, but his mind wouldn't let him. As hard as it was to think about, if he said yes and Noah didn't make it; if he died… Luke wasn't sure what he would do. "I just don't…"

'Don't what? Don't want to marry me? Don't love me enough?' Feeling rejected, Noah couldn't help the tears of pain as he began to cough and choke. "You…said…" He couldn't breathe. This was the worst fit by far, and crying wasn't helping. Christ, he couldn't breathe! Something wet was spattering against his face, but it wasn't important.

"Noah? Noah!" Luke was panicking, especially now that Noah started to cough blood. "Noah, hold on!" The sirens were so close now; he could hear the voices of the paramedics. "Hear that, Noah? It's help. Help is coming…" A moment later, the coughing stopped, but Luke wasn't happy. In fact, he was screaming. "No! Please don't do this. Noah!" Noah had stopped breathing.

A/N YasuJ: that's it for this chappie!

Luke and Noah: gobsmacked expressions Are you serious?

YasuJ: As a holocaust! Well, you know what to do. Ja ne!


	7. Love Hurts

Disclaimer: Radah radah, rad rad rahdah radah! Ok!

A/N: Does anyone even read these? That's right! Me! Anyway I come with great news. During my temporary leave, (I didn't intend to be gone that long, honestly), but yeah I got two new story ideas! One of them is kinda messing with my head right now so I think you're gonna see it soon. Not too soon though. But anyway… Reviewers! Forbidden Romance, Onaqua, ToraChibiChan. Grateful thanks. Betas! Yes,t ask for one and I got two Betas Forbidden Romance AND ToraChibiChan... Grateful thanks! XD Onwards!

Chapter 6

Love Hurts

Pacing is a ridiculous thing, don't you think? You walk back and forth in a straight line repeatedly. It serves no purpose of getting anywhere and expendsenergy that could be doing something useful elsewhere. Back and forth, back and forth. It was pointless and endless. So then, why had Luke been doing it for the past half an hour?

"Luke, calm down."

"I'm fine, dad."

Oh that's right, because two hours ago, at 1:26 p.m, Luke found Noah, on a hill, about 85 miles outside Fairview. It turned out that Noah had only been 50 feet from the road, but he'd been so well hidden by the slope of the hillside it would've been impossible to see him if you weren't looking down, and the foliage didn't make it any easier.

Noah himself was in bad shape. He'd been in surgery for the past hour and a half, and Luke wanted to see him very much. Two bags of potato chips and a bottle of iced tea couldn't quell his nerves, and his father absolutely refused to give him any sort of coffee or caffeine. Couldn't think of why…

"Noah Mayer?" There came a light tenor voice from the swinging doorway. A male, about 40, clad in full green scrubs was calling out to the- "Family of Noah Mayer?"

"Here! We're here!" Luke ran to the end of the room, prying his father away from the vending machine. "How is he?" he asked once they arrived in front of the doctor. Dr. Kromer, as he introduced himself to be, motioned them to step through the doors. Upon doing so, Luke asked again, "How is Noah?"

"I'm sorry to say he's still in critical condition. I'll start from the least important things, if that's alright?" Seeing the two men nod, he began, looking at his chart.

"There are a few minor cuts and bruises along his arms and face, the unprotected areas. There is a particularly large bruise spanning from his left shoulder, diagonally across his thorax to the lower right region of his abdomen, just below the ribcage. We believe this was caused by the seatbelt and x-rays have shown three broken ribs and fracture in his sternum. His ribs had somehow shifted out of their proper position and this was causing pressure on his lungs. We're taking care of that, but he'll be in a lot of pain."

Luke bit his lip nervously. These were the least important? He knew what the doctor was saying, and he didn't like it. Damn, he was still going.

"From the way you described your conversation with him earlier, he may have a concussion. He was unconscious when they brought him in so we're a bit worried about that. He's suffering from mild dehydration and a fever as well. His left leg is the main area for concern, as it's broken in four places. Both the tibia and fibula have broken severely below the knee, cutting through muscle tissue and exiting his leg and the fibula has broken again above the ankle.

"There's infection, causing inflammation and possibly his fever as well. We're currently working on realigning the bones, and the surgery may take about five more hours. Though," the doctor inhaled deeply, preparing himself, "he's suffered a staggering amount of blood loss. At this point it's hard to say what the outcome will be. In fact, I'm surprised he's still-"

"Dr. Kromer," A nurse with auburn hair and a strange accent, also dressed in scrubs**,** came running around the corner, panting, "They need you back in the O.R immediately."

"Right. I'm sorry. I have to go now." With that, they were gone.

Holden glanced at Luke, who was looking pale and green at the same time. "Dad, if I faint right about now…?"

"I wouldn't hold it against you."

"Good… because I really need to lie down."

* * *

The sun greeted Noah pleasantly as he turned over on the bed. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud as he sat up. The room he was in seemed familiar yet strange, like it wasn't real. Maybe _he_ wasn't real? "Right, like that makes sense."

It looked like it belonged to a little boy; this room painted in a pale turquoise. Miniature race cars and tiny action figures littered the wooden floor, a stuffed animal or two thrown in the mess. Natural light entered from a window to the left, illuminating a small desk.

As he made his way to it, Noah saw an open colouring book, stained by a fallen glass of grape juice. He had half a mind to start cleaning it up, before he remembered where he was, or _wasn't_. "Hello?"

"Hello, yourself." The voice made Noah jump slightly, and he turned to the doorway. The figure there startled him even more.

"Okay," he started, a laugh rising in him. "Now I know I'm dreaming." There was no way that this woman could possibly be standing in front of him, looking at him with those eyes.

"You're not dreaming," She replied, brushing her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. "But I'm flattered that you think such beauty could only be created in a fantasy."

Charlene Wilson aka Cheri Love aka his Mother was standing not three feet away from him. His brain just about stuttered to a stop. "Am… am I dead?"

"No…" It was a particular kind of 'no', the kind that always had a 'but' following. "But you're not exactly alive either." How he loved being right. She held out her hand to him, smiling. "Would you like me to show you?"

Feeling a bit off-balanced by the whole "not alive" thing, he took her hand without thinking. The room suddenly swam before his eyes, colours twisted and shapes melted; the walls became closer and longer. He was falling, and yet standing still. The toys, the furniture; itwas all swirling away, and then itstopped. He was in a different room now, one with white walls, and in front of him-

"I don't believe it…"

* * *

Noah was being kept in the Intensive Care Unit. Sometime in the final hour of surgery his fever had escalated, reaching 103 degrees before blessedly going back down.

'He's going to be the death of me, I know it.' Luke thought grumpily as they made their way down the halls to Noah's new room. He had cause to be. While Luke hadn't fainted, his non-existent sleep pattern had finally caught up with him and he'd pretty much collapsed in a waiting room chair. 'I mean, do they design those things to be hellishly uncomfortable if you try to do anything but sit?'

"Here we are," Dr. Kromer said, stopping the duo. Luke blinked at the metal door marked '207', suddenly unsure as he stepped inside. Noah hadn't woken up and Luke honestly didn't know if he wanted to hit him or hold his hand. The whole ordeal had done something to his emotions; he didn't even know what he felt anymore.

Oh, he loved Noah, that much he knew, but a numb tiredness was overtaking him, detaching him from the situation. It was confusing him, and he could feel his hands shaking. Maybe he could shake Noah awake and finally ge-

"Luke?" A hand gripped his shoulder warmly and Luke looked up.

Standing directly in front of him was his father, looking very concerned. Luke hadn't moved after he'd taken two steps inside. 'He's done this so many times hasn't he?' With his mom and him constantly taking turns at hospitalization, it's a wonder that he hadn't cracked yet.

And now with Noah… but his dad hadn't complained about anything. He never did. He was just there, being strong for whoever needed him. A small, sad smile chanced its way onto Luke's otherwise expressionless face, just to let Holden know he was okay.

He wasn't okay, not by a long shot, and he doubted he would be before he could talk with Noah. But the person lying prone on the bed in the middle of the sterile room was not the Noah of his memories. As much as Dr. Kromer had told them, as much he prepared them, the real thing was still upsetting. He just looked so… fragile, so young.

Ashen was his skin, almost matching the regulation hospital covers. Gauze and bandages covered him; tubes ran endlessly from him, connecting to numerous hanging bags; wires were attached to monitors measuring heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels.

The ventilator tube in Noah's mouth scared Luke the most. He couldn't even breathe on his own. Too much, too much. Luke could feel the moisture gathering in his eyes as he slowly made his way to the bedside, dragging the only chair in the room with him.

"God, Noah. What'd you do to yourself?" He asked softly, sitting down right at Noah's side. Shaking his head, he laughed bitterly. It didn't really make sense. Who was going to answer him? But maybe… maybe Noah could hear him.

"It's Luke, Noah. I'm here, okay? I'm right here," he continued on, gently grasping Noah's bandaged right hand. It felt so cold. Rubbing it gently as not to disturb the I.V., he kept speaking while trying to blink away the threatening tears, "And I'm not gonna leave you. I never will. Just… wake up soon. I want to see those bright blue eyes again and I'll stay right here until I do. Alright? Please, just wake up."

* * *

Noah stood stock still, watching as Luke spoke promise after promise to his body, afraid of disturbing the quiet scene. His hand felt warm, he could feel Luke holding it but he didn't feel anything else. No pain anywhere, not even his leg, bound and cast on the bed. He turned to Charlene whose eyes were already focused on him. "What is this?" he whispered.

"You, my son," That sent the tiniest tingle through Noah, "are having an out-of-body experience. Well, in the simplest terms. Part of you is free to roam anywhere you choose, and part is stuck, your link to life."

Noah didn't particularly feel like beating around the bush, especially with his _body_ over there. "Am I going to die?"

Charlene finally lost her smile. "That is entirely up to you. Right now, your body is healing, so you can do whatever you want as a partial spirit. In seven days, there will be a window, an opening of sorts for you to enter your body again and become fully alive. If you choose not to use it, your body will shut down and I will take you back with me as a full spirit."

"I want to live." He stated factually, and Charlene's smile was back in full force. As the day turned to night, she began to tell him about her job now as a 'ferry' for recently deceased, guiding new spirits to the afterlife, about how she was working off the bad deeds she had committed during her life, and about how she was always watching over Noah and how proud she was of him. Her eyes had Noah unsettled though. They seemed sad, wanting to say something important. "What's wrong?" he asked, stopping the procession of stories.

"Noah, I want to tell you something," she began solemnly. "But you have to understand that fate has already been set into motion. That there is nothing you can do to change what is going to happen now." Noah just nodded, regretting that he asked but still wanting to know. Charlene sighed, "I'm not here for you, Noah."

"What? Then who?" Her eyes, eyes much like his own shifted to the boy now sleeping soundly on his arms near to Noah's body. It took him a second to realize what she meant, maybe because he didn't want to believe. He shook his head in denial. "No… You can't mean…"

"I'm sorry, Noah but, I'm here for Luke."

A/N Yasu: That's the end of Missing! gags Stop choking me…

Noah: strangling Yasu First you try to kill me. Now Luke… I have not yet _begun_ to choke you…

Luke: Noah, if you kill the author, nothing will get done. This is the end but there's a continuation...

Noah: drops Yasu Just Review the stupid thing walks away dragging Luke

Yasu: Ja cough ne…


End file.
